BEETHOVEN: FREEDOM & FATE Will Come to La Monnaie/De Munt

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Piano Concerto No. 4 and the Coriolan Overture will anchor the opening concert of the season at La Monnaie/De Munt in a program centered on the themes of fate and freedom.

Titled Beethoven: Freedom & Fate, the concert will be led by conductor Alain Altinoglu and feature the La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra alongside pianist Seong-Jin Cho, who was named Musician of the Year 2025 by Opus Klassik.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with its iconic four-note opening motif, frames the program as a study in dramatic contrast. Often associated with the idea of “fate knocking at the door,” the work moves between tension, lyricism, playfulness and triumph, underscoring the composer’s command of emotional extremes.

The Piano Concerto No. 4, written in the same period, offers a more introspective counterpoint. Frequently described as one of Beethoven’s most poetic works, it blends intimacy and grandeur, with its second movement famously evoking the mythic image of Orpheus calming the Erinyes at the gates of the underworld.

The program also includes the Coriolan Overture, which sharply contrasts resolve and tenderness as it depicts the Roman general’s internal conflict between military determination and his mother’s pleas for restraint.

Altinoglu opens the season program slightly ahead of the upcoming bicentenary commemorations of Beethoven’s death, shaping the concert as both a reflection on the composer’s legacy and an exploration of two enduring themes that defined much of his work: the force of destiny and the pursuit of freedom.